The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-03-09
The Press and Banner.
W Wednesday, March 9, 1887.
The PaY of Teachers.

The A6be,fUe Press and Banner advocates
small pay for teachers as one means OF
lengthening the school term This us IS lAneeu a
n most questionable eXpcdient. Tho Press
and Bdnner would do better to try TO lnuuce
its constituency to pay more money ior pet
ter teachers and longer school terms.-Coeu'h-
bid Yeomdn.
The laborer is generally worthy of his hire,
and he can generally command fair price
for his services, but according to the Recora'
however, the teacher Is an exception.
We have had some observation OF the Prac-
tical business OF employing teachers. Inc
list OF teachers in Abbeville county Is not
very different from what 1t was ten
wears ago. In that time the salary Of teach
ers has bobbed up and down all the way from
$50 to $40 q month. Plain, practical, common
sense people are unable to see how the salary
has affected the teaching capacity OF the
teacher. Long ago teachers were paid $50
month and no complaint was heard from
them, Without any effort on their part the
School Commissioner concluded to raise the
salary to $40 month to the same teachers
who had been working uncomplainingly for
S25. No man, possessing only common sense.
could tell II these same teachers at sio
month did better service than they did at S25
q month, but the simplest idiot in Abbeville
could not fail to see that the Increased salary
shortened the school term.
AS far as we have been able to ascertain
only q few, except teachers or persons: inter-
ested in getting the public money for the least
service, can pretend to show how the teach
er's ability to teach Is affected by his salary.
II Commissioner Cowan can hire the same
teacher at $50 a month to whom for
mer Commissioner paid $40 n month, plain,
common sense people are inclined to think
Commissioner Cowan secures TO the children
just double the school privileges that were
accorded to them under the administration
which paid double the price to the same
teacher.
The Columbia Record, members OF the
Teachers Institute, and fanatics generally on
the subject Of dividing out the public fund
among the teachers for the least possible SER
vice, must remember that it is not possible for
people living IL sparsely settled communl-
ties, to pay the same price to teacher that
town people pay for the teaching OF tho Ian
guages and higher branches.
1t Is evident that an unpretending school
teacher, in remote corner, may educate just
as good boy as the town teacher with big
pay. The history of the country will prove
that the teachers in log cabins or other un-
pretentious buildings in the backwoods can
boast of educating as great men as the coun-
try ever produced.
Everybody knows that an elegant brick
building is more desirable than little wood
en- building, but for all this, as good people
live in the little houses as live In the big
houses, but poor people cannot indulge In the
luxuries that are common to the rich.
We all know that there is difference In
the value of teachers services. Would the
Record deny poor people any teacher ut all
merely because rich people pay o high price
for a teacher, and because the poor people
cannot pay q fancy price to dude OF teach